No other website has been investigating the blogosphere quite as broadly as Technorati. For the past six years, the organization—which indexes over 1 million blogs—has continued to publish annual reports on key demographics and other trends found among their surveyed blogs. Some interesting findings from their 2010 study:

WHO: Demographics

11% of the bloggers surveyed claim it as their professional job.

Most American bloggers live in California.

Nearly 80% have college degrees.

Only 1/3 are women.

96% have blogged for at least a year.

The top 100 bloggers as ranked by Technorati blog approximately 500 times more than all other bloggers.

Bloggers spend twice as much time on social media websites than the average American.

WHAT: Subjects on the Blogosphere

The majority of bloggers, professional or hobbyist, state that they blog in order to share expertise and interests with others online.

Over half have made online friends through their blogging activities.

55% claimed that blogging has improved their professional careers and has helped them become more well-known in their respective industries.

Most bloggers still predominantly use their sites to post what Technorati calls “personal musings,” more so than any other topic.

People are more likely to take recommendations about products from blogs than from Twitter.

HOW: Technology

Over half of all bloggers use a third-party platform to host their blogs. Blogging Common recently launched a project to survey blogging platform choices.

Facebook and Twitter are responsible for the majority of traffic directed to blogs, according to Tech Crunch.

What’s Next

“The State of the Blogosphere” shows how blogging has engaged more Internet users in general. And others are venturing into further niches of the blogosphere, such as participating in microblogging. The study also poses questions about the effects of English as the dominant language on the blogosphere.

Regardless, the blogosphere continues to grow. In response to the release of the 2010 report, blogger Brian Solis elaborated on why blogging will only continue to proliferate:

“[The blogosphere] is a place where context, thoughtfulness and continuity are rewarded with inbound links, ReTweets, bookmarks, comments and Likes. Blogs are the digital library of our intellect, experience, and vision. With blogs, we are investing in our digital legacy.”